1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for disinfecting inanimate objects with an alkali-metal hypochlorite solution.
Sodium, potassium, lithium, and calcium hypochlorites are well known for their disinfecting and bleaching properties. The disinfecting properties are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,580 to Echols et al, wherein it is disclosed that sensitive materials may be disinfected by hypochlorite solutions without prolonged exposure to residual hypochlorite.
The hypochlorite solutions of the instant invention are also useful for destroying mold, removing slime and algae, on walls or in pipes, descaling, metal ion sequestering as well as bleaching textile materials.
While the use of citrates and malates as disclosed in the aforementioned Echols et al patent, destroys residual hypochlorite on treated materials, it does not permit control or prolonging of the contact time beyond that of the automatic destructive action of that particular system.
Moreover, it is a feature of the present invention that less hypochlorite need be used initially than would be required in the use of the citrate or malate self-destruction system because in the process of the present invention the self-destruction of the hypochlorite can be delayed until the hypochlorite has completed its action.
Heretofore, the only means of cleansing the treated materials of hypochlorite was either by flushing the surface of said materials with copious amounts of water or by treating with the above-mentioned citrates or malates. The disadvantage of the former method is the eventual introduction of large quantities of hypochlorite into effluent streams and thereby causing or contributing to an imbalance in the biological population of receiving sewage treatment plants especially when the treatment plants are in close proximity to the point of effluent discharge. The disadvantage of the latter method is that, as stated hereinabove, large amounts of hypochlorite are required initially to compensate for the high degree of reactivity between the hypochlorite and the citrate or malate.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Pertinent prior art in this area is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,580 to Echols. This patent relates to the provision of a disinfecting/decontaminating solution comprising citrate and hypochlorite. The novel feature of this system is its "ability" to self-destruct after a short period of germicidal activity. The advantage of such a system is that a powerful disinfectant such as sodium hypochlorite may be used on sensitive materials without undue exposure of the treated surface to the disinfectant.